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Nestle Waters exec talks recycling at ocean conference

Olivia Just| on June 17, 2014

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Brian Flaherty, vice president of public policy at Nestle Waters North America, spoke at the Our Ocean conference on Monday, hosted by the U.S. State Dept. in Washington D.C. Flaherty joined a panel discussion on marine debris. less

Brian Flaherty, vice president of public policy at Nestle Waters North America, spoke at the Our Ocean conference on Monday, hosted by the U.S. State Dept. in Washington D.C. Flaherty joined a panel discussion ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Prince Albert II of Monaco and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to the press before their joint remarks at the Our Ocean conference on Monday. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. State Department).

Prince Albert II of Monaco and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to the press before their joint remarks at the Our Ocean conference on Monday. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. State Department).

Photo: Contributed Photo

Nestle Waters exec talks recycling at ocean conference

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As the two-day Our Ocean conference kicked off in Washington D.C., on Monday, the U.S. State Department -- the event's sponsor -- tweeted that 60 percent of all marine debris is plastic.

That's exactly what Brian Flaherty, vice president of public policy at Nestle Waters North America, was invited to the conference to talk about.

In representing the Stamford-based Nestle Waters at the event, Flaherty joined a diverse crowd of nearly 400 participants from 80 countries, including heads of state, scientists, members of non-governmental organizations and high-profile supporters of ocean conservation efforts. Nestle Waters was there to discuss its efforts to become a "zero waste" company, Flaherty said in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

"Four out of every 10 bottles is not getting recycled," he said. "That's not good enough."

On Monday, Flaherty took part in a panel discussion on marine debris, outlining Nestle Waters' long and short term plans for recycling and conservation. An ultimate goal for Nestle Waters, Flaherty said, is to implement market-based recycling, which would include the cost of recycling in the price of their bottled water. Paying an extra one or two cents for the product at the register can contribute to a fund to pay for the recycling of the plastic packaging. It's an effort that has been rolled out successfully in Manitoba, Canada, Flaherty said, increasing recycling by 61 percent in that province. It's also something that could work on a local level, in Nestle Waters' own backyard, he said.

"Connecticut is recycling like never before," Flaherty said. "The common denominator is that for a penny, you can find a way to recycle all the beverages in your household."

The "zero-waste" push -- to get the company to reuse everything it produces "' has come directly from Nestle Waters' CEO Tim Brown, Flaherty said. At the moment, 6 of Nestle Waters' 28 U.S. factories reuse all their waste and contribute nothing to landfills, he said.

To encourage conservation efforts, the company's Zephyrhills brand, which sources its water from Florida, has made an agreement with the organizations Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful and Tampa Bay Watch to conduct an eight-month cleanup and education program for the area.

"Getting rid of single-use plastics is a big positive step, ensuring that we get as much plastic back through recycling and keep it out of the oceans," said Lance Morgan, president of the Marine Conservation Institute. "It's great that some of these corporations are thinking about how to tackle this problem."

Nestle has been in discussions with policy makers across the country about putting market-based recycling into place, but it's been "slow going," Flaherty said. Nevertheless, he noted that he was gratified by the enthusiasm from fellow attendees at the Our Ocean conference.

"I'm a policy wonk, so I was really excited and energized by the whole discussion and the people I met," Flaherty said. "This was one high-powered convening. This was major."

In his opening remarks at Our Ocean on Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated the importance of saving the ocean from pollutants and overfishing, even as he cut his presence at the event short to deal with the burgeoning crisis in Iraq.

"It's a vital security issue involving the movement of people, the livelihood of people, the capacity of people to exist and live where they live today," Kerry said of ocean conservation in his opening statement.

As the conference wound down on Tuesday, President Obama announced his intention to create the world's largest marine sanctuary in the Pacific Ocean, as the Washington Post reported.

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"There's certainly an ongoing focus on the oceans," Morgan said. "It's wonderful to see this high level of political engagement."